The blood from Taehyung's face drained quickly.

If it was possible to look paler even with his make-up on, Taehyung managed the feat. He stood transfixed in his spot despite sensing the stage shift beneath his feet. Ah, this must be the beginning of his world crumbling down.

Taehyung did not notice the lights turning on as his vision blurred and his chest constricted. He couldn't breathe. He only heard a loud buzzing in his ears and did not realize his name being called.

"Tae! Wake up! Wake up!"

"Hmmm? What happened?" Taehyung mumbled and looked up to see Jimin hovering over him.

"You fainted, and you scared us," Jimin said as he pulled up the man lying on the couch.

"Where am I?"

"You're backstage."

"How did I get here?"

"We carried your heavy ass," Namjoon shouted exasperatedly.

"I'm sorry," Taehyung offered.

"You should be," Yoongi remarked. "You did something really stupid."

Taehyung covered his face as the gravity of the situation hit him. His careless dalliance got exposed, resulting in most likely their hard-earned reputation. He wasn't sure anybody, even their most ardent fans, would pardon him for his indiscretion. BTS was held to a high standard and regarded as role models, so if any of them were to screw up as he did, how else would they expect good behaviour from those who try to emulate them?

"I understand if you guys won't forgive me," Taehyung mumbled. "There's no excuse for my actions, but I'm praying that you still would consider me as your brother, even if I'm no longer part of the group."

"What do you mean, you dumbass?" Jin questioned.

"Well, I assumed after this, I'd be out fending for myself on the street. Am I not?"

"No, you're lucky Bang PD didn't fire you."

"And apparently, we're not the only suckers around here."